Several Wolves players are playing the best football of their careers under Gary O’Neil, and someone who has arguably gone under the radar this season is centre-back Toti Gomes.
During the Fosun era, the Molineux side have endured their fair share of transfer blunders.
Goncalo Guedes and Fabio Silva head that list, with the Portuguese duo unable to capture the hearts of Wolves supporters by repaying their hefty price tags.
It hasn’t always been doom and gloom in the transfer department, though, as the Wanderers have struck gold several times.
Of players in the current squad, the £4 million capture of Pablo Sarabia from Paris Saint Germain is proving to be a bargain, as is the £15 million signing of midfield destroyer Joao Gomes, now attracting interest from Manchester United.
Meanwhile, centre-back Toti Gomes gives those two players a good run for their money.
The amount Wolves paid for Toti Gomes
Toti was captured for a bargain £900,000 from Liga Portugal side Estoril in the summer of 2020.
Upon his arrival, the defender was immediately loaned out to Swiss side Grasshoppers for the following two seasons where he made 54 appearances and scored three times.
The two-cap Portuguese international returned to Molineux in January 2022 and was given his debut by Bruno Lage in a 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Despite only making three further appearances in that campaign, the early signs were promising and once Wolves hired Julen Lopetegui in November 2022, Toti played regularly at left-back in 2022/23.
He made eight starts at the back end of that campaign, but it wasn’t until Gary O’Neil arrived at the club in August that the defensive titan unlocked his true potential.
What Toti Gomes is valued at now
Toti made his first start of the season in a 2-1 victory over champions Manchester City, with O’Neil using him as a left centre-back. The rest, as they say, is history.
The 25-year-old has since starred alongside defensive titans Craig Dawson and Max Kilman but perhaps hasn’t received the praise he deserves.
As highlighted by FBref, the former Estoril defender has transformed into a quality ball-playing centre-back. He ranks in the top 2% of European defenders for successful take-ons and the top 8% for progressive passes received.
While the likes of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri steal the plaudits for their ability down the left side, it’s the “excellent” Toti who has allowed Wolves to stem such intricate passages of play from that area.
With O’Neil promoting a style whereby Wolves progress play from defence, the Portuguese powerhouse has enabled this tactic to work fluently.
So when looking at how much his importance has risen, it is no surprise to see the CIES Football Observatory value him at €30 million (£25.8 million) – a whopping 2700% increase on the initial £900,000 Wolves paid for him.
That perhaps isn’t a true reflection of his actual value, as the club would probably demand more for him, however, it shows that his incredible performances in gold haven’t gone unnoticed.